A Coal stoker furnace or stove controls most operations including automatically feeding the coal. They are quite similar to any conventional oil and gas units and easily operated for extended periods of time. They commonly use rice coal but may use larger sizes like buckwheat. They can be used as primary heat, supplementary heat or have a dual set up with your existing oil/gas furnace.

I was waiting for someone to ask that question!Not yet. I (once again) forgot to pick up charcoal when I was picking up the pipes and other supplies this morning. When I finally finished wrestling with the pipes it was around 6:30. It's all ready to go, even has coal in the hopper. I briefly tried some kindling in the stove, I really just wanted to see how it drafted. When the coal on the grate wasn't catching, I decided to quit for the day.It'll be burning tomorrow!Meanwhile, I'm still covered with soot and dirt from the oil burner smoke pipes! Thanks for asking, Greg.

Heating a circa 1832 farmhouse with a Harman Magnafire Mark I & a 1959 EFM 350 (heating DHW).100% Oil Free!"It's what we learn after we think we know it all that counts."

Believe me, I was looking for anything that would burn long enough to get the coal going, I even thought about how I could transport some burning coal from the Harman down the cellar stairs into the Alaska without starting a fire on the way. Good sense prevailed, however, the time I usually do something really stupid is after a long day when I'm tired. It's warm in here, tomorrow's another day. After it's all dialed in I can start plumbing the hot water loop.

Heating a circa 1832 farmhouse with a Harman Magnafire Mark I & a 1959 EFM 350 (heating DHW).100% Oil Free!"It's what we learn after we think we know it all that counts."

Wood'nCoal wrote:Believe me, I was looking for anything that would burn long enough to get the coal going, I even thought about how I could transport some burning coal from the Harman down the cellar stairs into the Alaska without starting a fire on the way.

I would have tried this, I'm a bullheaded Polock and the feasibility is overwhelming

Believe me, I was looking for anything that would burn long enough to get the coal going, I even thought about how I could transport some burning coal from the Harman down the cellar stairs into the Alaska without starting a fire on the way. Good sense prevailed, however, the time I usually do something really stupid is after a long day when I'm tired. It's warm in here, tomorrow's another day. After it's all dialed in I can start plumbing the hot water loop.

i take some red hot coals from the efm to get my alaska going......i'm kinda forgetfull and efm has a 55 gallon drum and the alaska has a small hopper......can you guess which fire goes out first lol

Up and running. I took a piece of stove pipe and bent it into a u shape, slid it into the grate. I scooped up a shovel of red hot coal from the Harman and used a cast iron skillet (!) to transport it very carefully. Worked great!The draft is running -2 1/2 to -3" WC, should it be 2?

The door color is starting to grow on me.

Heating a circa 1832 farmhouse with a Harman Magnafire Mark I & a 1959 EFM 350 (heating DHW).100% Oil Free!"It's what we learn after we think we know it all that counts."

Looking great!! Innovation and invention... gotta love it. What did the wife say about using the kitchen skillet for a 'coal transport device' ??

The door color looks good with the fire inside as background color.

I certainly wouldn't be concerned about the slight difference in the draft reading, as long as you maintain .02 to .04" I'd be happy.. My target is to maintain a negative pressure in the stove body when the fire is idling and at full burn.. As long as you aren't too much over target, you aren't pulling too much heat up the chimney.